Blaze rips through surf lifesaving club

The Fingal Bay surf lifesaving club is counting its losses, after a candle sparked an overnight fire that has caused major damage.

The fire broke out just before 7:00pm (AEST), destroying most of the top floor and severely damaging its contents.

Club president Glen Dunkley says it is unclear if the building can be saved.

"We found a fair bit of damage to the roof and the floor of the top floor and it was beyond repair by the look of it at this stage," he said.

"It will be up to insurance assessors and engineers who will be on site today to say whether the building will be written off, but there's a substantial amount of not only fire damage but smoke and water damage."